Possibility of tighter laws has local customers lining up to buy guns

Gun shop owners said customers have been streaming through their doors nonstop because they want to get ahead of any new laws that clamp down on the purchase of firearms.

LYDA LONGASTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH -- Fearing the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., will spark stricter gun control laws, shoppers in Volusia and Flagler counties are flocking to gun stores to purchase firearms and ask questions about concealed weapon licenses. At one popular gun retailer in Port Orange on Tuesday afternoon, a harried-sounding employee said, "We are like five-deep at the counter right now." That seemed to be the sentiment in a handful of gun shops in the wake of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Friday. Gun shop owners said customers have been streaming through their doors nonstop since then because they want to get ahead of any new laws that might clamp down on the purchase of firearms. "People are concerned (that) this will be the spark for gun legislation," said Forrest Buckwald, co-owner of Buck's Gun Rack on West International Speedway Boulevard. "Therefore they're trying to beat the clock." Buckwald prefaced the statement by saying he and his employees were "horrified" by the Sandy Hook killings. He also said several customers had commented on the tragedy and were upset by it. Many more of Buck's customers have been asking about concealed weapon licenses and the class needed to obtain them. "There's been an uptick in the last 72 hours" of people asking about concealed firearm licenses, the application and the classes, Buckwald said. This comes the same day some national sporting goods retailers have scaled back or eliminated sales of some rifles.Last week, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced that sometime this week someone could become the state's 1 millionth holder of a concealed weapon license. According to what Putnam said in a news conference, that milestone would make Florida No. 1 in the country in that category. Florida also had the distinction of being the first state to adopt a license process in 1987. The move was encouraged by firearms-rights group the National Rifle Association. The organization's longtime Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer has been instrumental in helping lift obstacles toward obtaining a concealed gun license, as well. For example, in 1992, lawmakers removed a requirement that license holders had to live in Florida. At Palm Coast gun shop Home & Self Defense Specialist, owner Steven Nobile said his customer base in the last three days has been made up mostly of first-time buyers interested in handguns. "They're buying now because they're afraid they're going to lose that ability in the future," Nobile said. "Everybody wants their rights." On Tuesday, Buck's customer Sonnie Stewart of Port Orange said her 9-year-old grandson is being taught the pros and cons of guns. The youngster was with her at the gun shop. "Only thing that's going to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with one," Stewart said. New Smyrna Beach resident Chris Craft, 56, was also at Buck's purchasing a handgun for protection. "It's something I'd planned to do for about a year," Craft said. Though Craft's purchase was a long time coming, he said last week's shooting in Connecticut might have expedited it. Gun sales may not be the only aspect of the industry that's increasing. At Central Florida Gun & Pawn in Orange City, owner Dale Wehr mentioned that many of the weapons distributors he deals with have raised prices on some of the more popular assault firearms. Wehr said prices on some of the models rose $50 or $60 a gun. But while guns were flying off the shelves at many stores, one popular sporting goods chain decided to take its modern rifles off the shelves. Dick's Sporting Goods also says it's removing all guns from display at its store closest to Newtown, where the massacre took place. A statement posted on Dick's corporate website expresses sympathy for the victims' families. It says sales of modern sporting rifles will be suspended during "this time of national mourning." It's not clear how long the suspension will last. A spokesman for Dick's did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday. Pittsburgh-based Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. has more than 500 stores in 44 states. Employees at the store in Daytona Beach said they could not comment on the issue Tuesday.

— Staff Writer Katie Kustura and The Associated Press contributed to this report.